Curry, curry and more curry

Excuse me if this blog is slightly rambling. As is becoming the custom, I am writing this in Bangkok airport, with rather a lengthy wait between two flights that I’ve filled with a large Singha beer and a prawn Pad Thai.

Enjoying a nice Thai iced coffee

Since my last blog (apologies for the gap, especially to Jane!) I’ve been on little sandy islands in Thailand and until last night didn’t think I had the capacity to charge any piece of electrical equipment apart from my BlackBerry so had a dead computer. And camera. But, lo, perseverance when bored in a hotel will get the plug in the wall and I’m up and going again.

I leave Thailand with blonder hair, browner skin, smoother feet, a slightly higher capacity for spicy food and my advanced diving qualification. I actually feel like I’ve had a holiday within a holiday, because I’ve taken this portion of the journey very easy, aside from the diving, and probably eaten and drunk a tiny bit too much.

I spent two days in Bangkok after arriving from Auckland, which was a complete change of pace. Some of that was spent fiddling around at the Indian Embassy trying to get my visa and even going so far as to leave my passport (supposedly for five days) before running back to get it when I realised I had no other photo ID with which to catch my flight south the next day. I still don’t have the visa, but know that I can get it this week in Phnom Penh so fretting is over. I can go skiing in Kashmir.

China Town in Bangkok, where I felt like An Idiot Abroad

Aside from that I packed a lot in — a pedicure, traditional Thai massage, foot massage, a wander around China Town where I felt like An Idiot Abroad, a boat trip up the Chao Phraya river past the Emerald Palace with, according to the state of my feet afterwards, the company of a hundred mosquitos.

I also saw some very sad sights. Shark fin restaurants and real tiger skins for sale. I could tell they were real because of how poorly they had been skinned, so sad — such a different culture.

From Bangkok I flew south to a town called Surat Thani and took a ferry in the company of albino pink dolphins over to Koh Samui, to meet Caz and Ivan, friends of a friend previously known as “Claire Next Door” but who will now be “Club Class Claire”. Claire and Ivan run a brilliant dive school on Koh Samui called 100 Degrees East. Divemaster Jonno worked me through my advanced PADI diving qualification, with the help of barracuda, bat fish, blue spotted rays and yes Angus, some red breasted wrasse. The best bit, however, was when one of the boat crew, Noan (I think that’s how his name is spelt!) from Burma freedived down to us to put an anemone on Jonno’s head. I’ve never seen someone hold their breath for that long nor look so at ease under the water. Amazing.

I was staying in a tiny bungalow resort where Caz and Ivan live, in the company of Ivan’s childhood friend Julian and his wife Sally. Julian is a black cab driver from London and the pair were out on holiday for 10 days. Absolutely hilarious company, especially when Julian (despite, allegedly, having a bigger brain than most having done “The Knowledge”) got lost for an hour on a moped trying to find his way back to the resort.

Taking a long tail to my bungalow resort on Koh Pangan - spot the boat boy struggling with my bag

After that I hadn’t made much of a plan, and on Caz and Ivan’s recommendations went to the neighbouring island Koh Phangan, which was described as “Robinson Crusoe eat your heart out” in my Lonely Planet. Though it was slightly more touristy than that, and a bit too "hippy" for me as the home of the full moon party, it was white sand beaches, turquoise water and coconut trees. Lots of coconut in the cocktails, too, and without much to do I read, slept, swam and ate. I had planned to go further afield but discovered that my bag isn’t very easy to transport and wheels don’t work on beaches so it was easier to stay put.

My "holiday within a holiday" on Koh Phangan

This morning bright and early it was back to Bangkok and after five hours here I head to Phnom Penh this afternoon. I’m going to stay with Rebecca, who went to school with Yolanda and has been living in Cambodia for the past 18 months. Sabrina arrives tomorrow, and we’ll make our plan for the next two weeks before we leave together for Delhi (and skiing in Kashmir, I’m not the least excited……….).

I also had a ride on a little baby elephant...

Said little baby elephant (seven) was, like my beloved Porky, a little bit naughty